Hosiery



Patented May 7, 1935 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to hosiery and, more particularly, to stockings or socks the major portions of which are made of natural silk, or artificial silk ofthe well known synthetic yarns. For the purposes of this application, I shall refer to both the natural and artificial yarns as silk.

Hosiery made entirely of silk, is subject to a serious disadvantage in that it lacks strength and durability in the heel and toe portions, which are the parts most subject to wear. This disadvantage is greatly aggravated especially when the hosiery is made of fine silk threads. As silk hosiery is otherwise desirable and in great demand, many attempts have been made to overcome said disadvantage.

It has been proposed to reinforce the heel and toe portions of silk hosiery by providing additional yarn in said parts usually by doubling or even tripling the silk threads but this expediency while somewhat effective in increasing the strength and durability of said parts renders the latter relatively stiif and harsh. The increased thickness resulting from the multiple threads causes great discomfort to the wearer, and often is the cause of corns and bunions. Furthermore, the use of multiple threads results in the formation of a highly objectionable ridge at the looping line or junction between the reinforced and unreinforced areas. Attempts have been made to overcome these difliculties by treating the reinforcing yarn with certain chemicals or other substances for the purpose of eliminating or reducing this stifiness or harshness, but the results of these attempts have not justified the added expense involved in the special treatment required, and moreover the objectionable ridge at the seam is not removed by such treatment. I

It has been proposed also to make socks of cotton or wool in the leg and foot portions and of linen in the toe and heel portions but socks of this character while strong and durable, cannot, for obvious reasons, be substituted for silk hosiery. Furthermore, even if the leg and foot portions are made of silk, such silk hosiery provided with linen heel and toe portions are undesirable because the linen portions are relatively stifl and harsh.

It has been proposed further to construct stockings of silk in the heel and toe portions as well as in the foot and leg portions and to reinforce the toe portion by an inner layer knit from cotton yarn. Such stockings while free to some extent from the stiffness and harshness of the double or triple-threaded reinforcements previously referred to herein are subject to serious objections best results.

by reason of the bulky and bunchy characteris tics of the multi-layer toe portion and the ridge at the looping line between said portion and the foot portion.

The main object of the present invention, there- 5 fore, is to increase the strength and durability of the toe and heel portions of silk hosiery without imparting to said portions the above mentioned undesirable qualities and characteristics. I have succeeded in accomplishing this result by knitting the leg and foot portions of silk threads in the usual way and by knitting the toe and heel portions of threads which are strong and durable yet are soft and have the feel of the silk threads in the leg portion. More specifically, after considerable experimentation, I have discovered that if the threads introduced into the toe and heel portions of the hosiery for the pur pose of increasing the strength and durability of said portions are composite threads of mercerized cotton and linen yarns, not only are increased durability and strength achieved but also the portions knit from composite threads of these yarns are soft and silky and have the feel substantially the same as that of the main portions of the 25 hosiery.

The invention will best be understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a sock embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a part of the toe or heel of the sock shown in Fig. 1.

In making the sock or stocking according to 35 the present invention, the leg portion In and foot portion I! are knit of silk yarn or of silk yarn in combination with cotton yarn in the usual way but the foot extremity portions, i. e. the toe portion It and heel portion I6, which are the portions 40 subject to most wear, are knit of the double threads l8 composed of a mercerized cotton thread 20 of two-ply yarn, i. e., a cotton thread of two strands, and a linen thread 22 consisting of a single strand. I have obtained best results 45 by using mercerized cotton '70 count--2 ply yarn, and by using in combination with said cotton yarn Irish linen yarn in a single strand of leas, or 49% linen yarn and 51% mercerized cotton yarn by weight. These percentages of linen and mer- 50 cerized cotton have proven in practice to give the I have'found that by varying the percentage of linen from 10% lower to 10% higher than that given, while at the same time varying the percentage of cotton from 10% higher to 10% 55 lower good results may be obtained. It will be understood that the heel and toe portions of the stocking illustrated herein may be joined to the stocking in the usual way by looping the threads l8 at the seam between said portions and when so joined it will be found that the stocking is free from the objectionable ridge formed by reinforcing the toe and heel portions of hosiery according to the methods of the prior art.

The improved silk hosiery thus produced is strong, durable, and comfortable as well. The

combined Irish linen and mercerized cotton threads are strong and durable and therefore impart strength and durability to the toe and heel portions of the hosiery, yet said portions are soft and pliable and are free from the stiffness and harshness which have long characterized hosiery of substantially equal strength and durability. The hosiery produced according to the present invention also possess in the toe and heel portions the highly desirable quality of absorbing moisture due to perspiration of the foot.

Thus it is seen that the stocking of the present construction is well adapted to accomplish the objects of the invention. It will be understood, however, that this construction may be varied in accordance with changes that will. occur to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction herein shown and described except as may be required by the appended claims and the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what ,I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A stocking comprising a leg portion of silk and a foot extremity portion consisting of a composite knit material of greater strength and durability, said knit material in the foot extremity portion consisting of knit threads of mercerized cotton and linen threads in each course in such proportions that said foot-extremity portion is substantially as soft and pliable as said leg portion.

2. A stocking comprising a leg portion of silk and a foot extremity portion consisting of a composite knit material of greater strength and du-- rability, said foot extremity portion being substantially as soft and pliable as said leg portion, said knit material in the foot extremity portion comprising threads of count-2 ply mercerized cotton yarn and threads of leas linen yarn.

3. A stocking comprising a leg portion of silk and a foot extremity portion consisting of a composite knit material of greater strength and durability, said foot extremity portion being substantially as soft and pliable as said leg portion, said knit material in the foot extremity portion comprising threads of 70 count--2 ply mercerized cotton yarn and threads of 100 leas linen yarn and each course of said knit material comprising one of said linen threads and one of said cotton threads.

4. A stocking comprising a leg portion of silk and a foot extremity portion consisting of a composite knit material of greater strength and durability, said knit material in the foot extremity portion comprising combined threads of linen and cotton in such proportion that said foot-extremity portion is substantially as soft and pliable as said leg portion.

5. A stocking comprising a leg portion of silk and a foot extremity portion consisting of a composite knit material of greater strength and durability, said foot extremity portion being substantially as soft and pliable as said leg portion said knit material in the foot extremity portion comprising combined threads of linen and cotton in the proportion of about 50% cotton yarn and 50% linen yarn by weight.

6. A stocking comprising a leg portion of silk and a foot extremity portion consisting of a composite knit material of greater strength and durability, said foot extremity portion being substantially as soft and pliable as said leg portion said knit material in the foot extremity portion comprising combined threads of linen and cotton in the proportion of about 50% cotton yarn and 50% linen yarn by weight, said combined thread consisting of a. cotton thread of two strands and a linen thread of a single strand.

CHESTER H. ROTH. 

